WHAT ZALINSKI SAW.

Te Aroha News, Volume VIII, Issue 489, 16 July 1890, Page 4

WHAT ZALINSKI SAW.

The Strength of European Powers.

Germany Best Prepared for War.

The “ World ” correspondent writes as follows :—The only way I had to get a chat, to say nothing of an interview, with Captain Zalinski, was to jump into the railway compartment with him on the train at Waterloo station and ride to Southampton.

Zalinski was sent abroad by the American Government on a roving commission among the great powers of Europe to keep his eyes wid6 open and see how they are prepared or preparing for war. He has seen much and learned much which will be useful to the War Department when ho makes his report. In every European power which he visited England, Prance, Germany, Russia and Italy, to say nothing of smaller nations, like Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium and Spain—Zalinski found them straining every nerve and making preparations for war. In most countries ho visited ho was afforded every opportunity of observation, though France and one or two other powers seemed disposed to screen all preparations in the strictest secrecy. Singularly enough, it was in France that Zalinski found tho strongest undercurrent of antipathy for America and all things American. In his heart the Frenchman has not forgiven them for the failure of the Panama Canal scheme, which he believes was solely duo to American interference, but it was in Franco that Zalinski found the greatest number of private enterprises profitably engaged in manufacturing numerous munitions of war. In this respect he thinks the great American republic might emulate her younger sister. Zalinski does nob think the next European war will be initiated by trouble between Germany and France. It is far more likely that difficulties will begin by trouble between Germany and Russia. Everything seems to tend in that direction. As a straw which shows which way the wind blows, Zalinski mentioned an incident he saw at one of the great fairs near St. Petersburg. A flock of trained pigeons were liberated to select from a row of flags of all nations those of the most favoured countries. Time and time again amid the plaudits of the crowd these pigeons flew away with the flags of France, Denmark and tho United States in the order named, leaving the flags of other nations untouched. But Russia is nob prepared for war yet. Z ilinski would not dwell long on this point* but he did go so far as to say that she has made no provision at all for small armaments.

Germany, he thinks, is at present the best equipped for a European war. The superiority of the general staff of the German army and the constant drill of her myriads of soldiers in the practical details of warfare constitute a force which can scarcely be over estimated. Zalinski cautiously observed that while he believed the young German Emperor sincere in his expressions of a desire to maintain peace, still he would nob regret an opportunity to show what his magnificent army could do if war was inovrable.

England, in Zalineki’s opinion, is amply equipped bo defend by land or sea anything she is likely to be called upon to defend. In the event of a European war England may hold the balance of power.

Zalinski has nob much faith in the socalled smokeless powder. He has carefully examined the numerous varieties of it tried by France and other nations which he has visited, but so far no smokeless powder has been made which will stand the exposure inevitable in field service. Strange to say, it was from the smaller nations visited, instead of the larger powers—like England, France, and Germany—that Zalinski received the most useful suggestions. Simply because ho was from America he was allowed opportunities of investigation which no agent on a similar mission from this side of the Atlantic could have enjoyed.